


More than a Four Letter Word Part 1

by Kateera



Series: All In a Summer [15]
Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, First Fight, M/M, Teenagers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-09
Updated: 2017-09-09
Packaged: 2018-12-25 18:59:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12042195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kateera/pseuds/Kateera
Summary: It's a perfectly wonderful day to spend with Oswald, but Jim discovers a terrible secret and his reaction leaves something to be desired.





	More than a Four Letter Word Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> Well, I did it. I wrote an angsty chapter and it broke my heart. It gets better, I promise!  
> This is for the prompt, Sunglasses.  
> A hearty thank you to [thekeyholder](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thekeyholder) for being a wonderful beta, any other mistakes are all my own.
> 
> Check me out on [tumblr](http://kateera.tumblr.com/) or [twitter](https://twitter.com/kateera_) to say hi or to hit that kofi link if you love what I'm doing! (seriously, I'm running low on caffeine).

“I love you,” Jim said, cocking his head in the bathroom mirror. “Oswald, I love you. I love you, Oz.”

 

He rubbed a hand across the fogging mirror and frowned at his reflection.  _ Maybe practice wasn’t the best idea. It should be spontaneous, right? _

 

Ruffling a towel through his hair, Jim closed his eyes and tried to control the butterflies fluttering in his stomach, the twist of fear in his mind that Oswald wouldn’t say it back, wouldn’t feel the same, was just playing a game. 

 

_ You know that’s not true, stop it! _

 

Pushing his nerves down, he walked back to his bedroom and got dressed, throwing on the navy blue t-shirt that pulled tight across his chest and made Oswald’s eyes widen. Satisfied with his wardrobe choice, Jim stuffed his phone and wallet in his back pockets and raced out to meet Oswald at the park. 

 

He searched the crowd for Oswald, cursing the Three on Three Tournament happening at the basketball courts and its crowd of spectators. Finding a park bench, he jumped onto it and looked out over the horde, spotting Oswald down by the little pond near the edge of the park. Jim hopped down and pushed his way through the people, getting an elbow in the ribs as he moved through them. 

 

“Oswald, hey!” Jim called out, waving and smiling as Oswald looked up at the sound of his voice and returned the smile. 

 

Jim didn’t know if he would ever get used to the rush of warmth he felt whenever Oswald smiled at him, like he’d saved the day just by existing. Leaning up against a tree with his patched up jeans and faded t-shirt and a pair of black sunglasses covering his face, Oswald looked like a dream come true. Throwing himself on the grass next to the pond, Jim held out his arms and pouted. Oswald rolled his eyes, but fell into the embrace with a small huff of laughter. 

 

“What are we doing today?” Jim asked, running his hands through Oswald’s hair and savoring his soft hums of pleasure. 

 

“Something quiet,” Oswald suggested, leaning back against Jim’s chest. “I’m not feeling particularly active today.”

 

“Works for me,” Jim agreed. “How about we walk back to your place, pop in one of your mom’s old movies?”

 

Oswald hummed and shrugged. “The walk sounds good at least. My mom has awful taste in movies.”

 

Standing and pulling Oswald up with him, Jim threw his head back with laughter. “Okay, not a musical is all I ask.” Wrapping his arms around Oswald’s slim waist, Jim stared down into his face and frowned. “What’s with the glasses?”

 

Oswald pulled back, pushing the glasses up on his nose and shrugging. “Not feeling well, the sun hurts my eyes sometimes and I get headaches.”

 

Wrinkling his face in sympathy, Jim grabbed his hand and tugged him close. “Fine, but I miss your eyes.”

 

He watched him blush and smiled, his chest tight at the beautiful pink hue of Oswald’s skin. 

 

_ I love you. _

 

The words stuck in his throat and he coughed, earning a sharp thump on his back as Oswald tried to help. 

 

“You okay?” 

 

Jim nodded and felt his own face flush. “So, um, home?”

 

Oswald squeezed his hand and nodded. 

 

Walking back to Oswald’s home, Jim studied the ground and tried to work out why his words had failed him. 

 

_ The timing was perfect. What’s wrong with you? _

 

“Jim. Jim, you alright?” Oswald’s concerned voice brought Jim out of his meandering thoughts.

 

Jim smiled and gave his hand a squeeze. “Yeah. Just thinking.”

 

They’d reached Oswald’s place and Jim stared at the blackened portion of the building, steel poles sticking out of the crumbling brick like broken bones. It needed to be destroyed before someone got hurt or killed by those jagged edges. An image of someone who looked suspiciously like Oswald danced in his mind, steel rods through his body as it hung from the broken walls. The thought sent a shiver through his spine. He focused on Oswald instead, the tilt of his head, the quirk of his lips, and the shuffle of his feet against the concrete steps. Jim looked at the sky and grinned. Slipping behind Oswald, he carefully reached up and snatched the glasses from his face, crowing with delight as he waved his prize above his head. 

 

Oswald turned around with a fierce glare and Jim almost dropped the glasses. A large black and blue bruise circled around his left eye, a stark contrast to his pale skin.

 

“What happened?” Jim blurted out, handing the glasses back to Oswald. 

 

Oswald looked at the ground and twisted his hands around the dark glasses. “It’s nothing. Just an accident.”

 

Jim stared in confusion. “Just an accident? You look like you got punched. Who punched you?” A horrible thought crossed his mind. “Was it someone at work?”

 

Shaking his head, Oswald grabbed for his keys and opened the door. “No, no one from work. I’m fine. It looks worse than it feels.”

 

“Well, it looks awful.” Jim followed him into the building and stayed silent as they made their way up the rickety stairs. Reaching Oswald’s door, Jim held him back from opening it and turned him around so he could look into his face.

 

“Oswald, please. Tell me the truth, okay? Did my brother find you?” Jim would rip Roger’s head from his neck if he’d hurt Oswald like this.

 

“No, I promise. It’s fine, just a misunderstanding.”

 

“It’s not fine.” Jim touched the side of his face, tracking his thumb across the bruised flesh. “There’s nothing you could have done to deserve this. Nothing. Please tell me who did this.”

 

Watching his lip tremble, Jim waited and kept smoothing his thumb over Oswald’s sensitive skin, trying to keep him calm.

 

“Sometimes she thinks I’m someone else,” Oswald whispered. “It’s not her fault, okay? She doesn’t mean it.”

 

Jim stopped stroking his cheek and looked at Oswald in disbelief. “Your mom did this?”

 

Oswald nodded and Jim saw red as he imagined Gertrud putting her full fist into her son’s eye. “What the hell? Oswald, you need to get away from here! Pack a bag, I’ll take you to my place and we can figure it out from there. You can’t stay here with someone who hits you!”

 

Pulling away from Jim, Oswald turned and opened the door, slamming it against the wall as he entered. “I’m not going anywhere. Didn’t you hear me? She doesn’t mean it. She gets confused sometimes.”

 

“Then get her some help. Getting confused is no excuse to hit you.” Jim followed after, closing the front door and moving towards Oswald’s room. “You can sleep at my place tonight.”

 

“I’m not going anywhere, aren’t you listening?”

 

“You’re not making sense!” Jim stopped walking and cleared his throat. “I’m not the bad guy here, Oz. Can’t you see how much worse this could get?”

 

“You’re never going to get it, are you?” Oswald said, backing away from Jim with tears in his eyes. “She’s all I have and I’m all she has and you want me to abandon her?” 

 

Jim wanted to smash his own face in for making Oswald cry, but fear for his life still coiled around his thoughts. “She’s hurting you and that’s not okay, no matter what. Please, let me take care of you.”

 

“Get out. Just go.” Oswald slumped onto the couch and put his head in his hands. 

 

He took a step forward, reaching for Oswald. “Oz, please. I-”

 

Oswald looked up and pushed Jim’s hand away. “I don’t want you here!” Standing up, he pushed him towards the door with a snarl. “Get out!”

 

Jim left, closing the door behind him and flinching as something crashed behind him. Putting his hand on the doorknob, Jim tried to turn it and found it locked. He wiped at his face, catching a few tears as they fell and blinking away the rest. He headed back down the stairs and into the sunlight, his mind buzzing with what had just happened.  

 

_ What have I done? _


End file.
